Reclining-chair.



Nm 7u|,o4. Patented may 27, |902.

F. MACE.

RECLINING CHAIR.

(Application filed Dec. 17, 1901 (No Model.)

lu vanto?,

UNTTEE Y STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK MACE, OF MEDINA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO S. A. COOK te CO., A COPARTNERSIIIP COMPOSED OF S. A. COOK, D. J. BIGELOVV, G. A. BOWEN, AND M. W. CHILDS, OF MEDINA, NEW YORK.

RECLININGMCHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,064, dated May 27, 1902.

Application led December 17,1901. Serial No. 86,242. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.:

Be it known that I, FRANK MACE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Medina, in the county of Orleans and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reclining-Chairs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap- 1o pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an adjusting device which is adapted to be used in connection with articles of furniture which are provided with two parts, one of which is movable relative to the other and which it is desirable to have held in one or another position of adjustment. l

The invention is particularly applicable to chairs having reclining-backs, and it is shown zo in the accompanying drawings as thus applied; but it should be understood that the invention is equally adapted to be used in connection with other articles of furniture or in other situations where one part or member z 5 of an article is adjustable relative to another part or member thereof, and these are connected by an adjusting device which will hold the parts in dierent relations to each other.

The invention belongs to that type of devices shown in Patent No. 667,162 to G. A.

Bowen, which comprises a ratchet part adapted to be applied to one member of an article and a pawl part for engaging the said ratchet applied to another member. The ratchet is formed of two ways or tracks in which the pawl is adapted to move, one ofthe ways being provided along one of its edges with a series of teeth and there being between the two ways a separating-partition and the ways being con'- 40 nected with each other at their ends,so that the pawl may pass from one way to the other. In the said patented device and in all other devices of this character of which I have knowledge the partition which separates the two ways is continuous from end to end, so that the pawl can pass from one way to the other only around the ends of the partition. It followed that when it was desired to adjust the pawl from one tooth to another situated farther to 5o the rear it was necessary to carry the pawl to the extreme end of the ratchet and around the front end of the partition, then backward through the free or non-ratcheted way to the rear end of the partition, and then to bring the pawl into engagement with the desired 5 5 ratchet-tooth from the rear.

My present invention has for its object to make it possible to adjust the pawl from one ratchet-tooth to another in the rear thereof without necessitating so extensive a move- 6o ment cf the parts; and the invention consists in dividing the separating-partition between its ends or providing it with intermediate crossover-passages, so that the pawl can pass from the free or non-ratcheted way to the one in which are situated the ratchet-teeth with out having to be moved to the rear end of the partition.'

With this general statement of thenature of my invention and in order that it may be 7o the better understood I will proceed to de scribe one and the preferred embodiment thereof. I do not, however, desire to be uw derstood as intimating by the specific descrip= tion of my invention which shall Yfollow that it is to be limited in its useful applications to the one showing thereof which I have for the purposes of illustrating chosen to delineate and describe.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is 8o a perspective view of the frame of a Morris chair. Fig. 2 is a view taken from the inner side of the toothed bracket. Y Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the bracket, and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the 85 pivoted dog and angle-plate by means of which it is attached to the back-rest section of the chair.

Referring to the drawings, l denotes the chair; 2, the rear arm-posts, having longitudi- 9o j nal extensions 3, and 4 denotes the back-rest section, pivoted at its lower end, as shown at 5, to the arm-posts.

6 denotes a curvedtoothed plate secured by screws or otherwise to the'extensions 3 and 95 consisting of abase-plate 7, having a marginal surrounding ange 8. It is on the lower portion of this flange that the teeth a, b, c, d, and e are formed,and these teeth project inwardly, as shown in FigsA l and 3. Formed in advance roo' ofthe teeth is a ledge 9. Arranged above the teeth a, b, c, d, and e and cast integral with the base-plate are tooth-guards f, g, and h, the ends of which are spaced apart, and the rear end of the guard h is located above the forward end of the guard g, and the rear end of the guard g is located above the forward end of the guard f. In advance of the tooth ais a latch j, pivoted to the base of the bracket and having its upper end projecting rear wardly across an opening 71;, formed in the upper side of the ange.

fm. denotes a dog, which consists of a plate having at one end a pin n. One of these dogs is secured to each of the side pieces or stiles of the back-rest section, preferably by an angle-plate o, screwed to said side pieces or Stiles, and the pin n is adapted to be passed through the opening 7c in the flange of the toothed bracket.

Assuming the pin n of the dog to be resting upon the lower end of latchj and it be desired to adjust the backrest section to a position which would bring the pin into engagement with the tooth CZ, the back-rest section is forced rearwardly, and in doing this the pin will ride upon the latch and be guided over uponv the guard h, to and upon the guard g, and over the guard g upon the guard f. Then a slight forward movement of the back-rest section will throw the pin over the front end of the guardfand allow it to drop into the space between the teeth o and d, and it will be held against further rearward movement by the tooth d. While in lthis position suppose it lbe desired to raise the back-rest section,'so as to engage the pin with one ot' the v ment forwardly of the back-rest section will ssl cause the pin to ride over the tooth b and permit it to be engaged therewith, or a still further movement will ride the pin over the tooth a, and allow it to engage that tooth. In this position let it be assumed that it is desired to adjust the back-rest section so that the pin n will engage the tooth e, in which position the back-rest section will be at its farthest point of rearward movement. The back-rest section will be then thrown forward and the pin n will ride up the inclined surface p of the ledge 9 under the lower wei ghted end t' of the latch, and then by moving the back-rest section rearwardly the pin fn will ride 0E the latch and successively off the guards h, g, and f and fall immediately at the rear of the tooth e. Now by moving the back-rest section a slight distance forwardly the pin n will ride over said tooth e and engage the same, thus locking the back-rest section in adjustment. v

It will be understood that the tooth-guards v f, g, and 7L together constitute a partition which separates the two tracks or ways of the ratchet, and the spaces between such toothguards constitute crossover -passages from one track or way'to the other, permitting in the manner already described the direct passage of the pawl from the free way to the toothed or ratcheted way.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode of operation, and advantages of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and details of construction may be made within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a device of the character described, for use in connection with a chair employing a hinged back-rest section, the combination with a toothed bracket adapted to be secured to a fixed part of the chair-frame and having tooth-guards arranged above the teeth, the ends of said guards overlapping and being spaced apart, and a latch pivoted in advance of the teeth and in advance of the toothguards, of a dog adapted to be pivoted tothe back-rest section and to engage the pivoted latch, the tooth-guards, and be directed into locked engagement with the teeth, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a relatively stationary member of an article, and a swinging member connected thereto, of a pawl carried by one of these parts and a ratchet device to be engaged by the pawl carried by the other, the said ratchet device having two ways or tracks for the pawl to move in, one side of one of the ways being provided with a series of teeth, and a separating-partition between the ways which is divided longitudinally to permit the passage of the pawl from one way to the other at a point between the ends of the said partition, and the ways being connected at one end of the partition to permit the pawl to pass around such end from one way to the other, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a relatively stationary member of an article, and a movable member connected therewith, of a pawl carried by one of these parts and a ratchet device carried by the other and arranged to be IOO IIO

engaged by the pawl, the said ratchet device Vice carried by the other, the said ratchet defrom one Way to the other, substantially as Io vice having two Ways or tracks for the pawl set forth. to move in, one of the Ways being provided In testimony whereof I have hereunto set with a series of teeth, a separating-partition my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 5 between the Ways, provided with crossovernesses.

passages from one Way to the other, arranged FRANK MACE. intermediate the ends of the partition, and Witnesses: a latch arranged at one of the ends of the MYRON A. POST,

partition and arranged to direct the pawl CLAUDE B. HOWELL. 

